ETSU set the ground on fire on Saturday, when the No. 12 ranked Bucs traveled to take on the (3-6) Western Carolina Catamounts. The Bucs came away with a resounding 56-35 victory.
Coming off of a homecoming win against VMI, the (8-1) Bucs looked to take sole possession of first place in the SoCon standings.
It didn’t take the Bucs long to find the end zone on a 35 yard carry by running back Jacob Saylors (Jasper, Tenn.) his first of three for the day.
Between Saylors and Quay Holmes (Powder Springs, Ga.), six touchdowns and 478 total yards would be gained on the ground. Saylors rushed 19 times for 266 yards, breaking the single-game rushing record for ETSU.
Holmes, who entered the day 298 yards away from the all-time rushing record at ETSU, now sits only 86 yards shy of the record set by former ETSU Buc running back Brandon Walker. Holmes, who was ranked fourth in the FCS in rushing, is also chasing the ETSU single season rushing record and after gaining 212 yards against the Catamounts, is only 26 yards shy of breaking the record currently held by former ETSU Buc George Searcy.
The first half of the game was closely contested and saw both teams enter the second half tied 35-35.
It wasn’t until late in the third quarter when the Bucs would break the tie and start to pull away from Western Carolina and not look back after a one yard carry by quarterback Tyler Riddell (Tampa, Fla.) to put the Bucs up 42-35.
The offense was heavy on the ground. Making up for only 16 passing attempts, the Bucs would carry the ball 54 times. 49 of those attempts were Holmes and Saylors. Holmes, on 30 carries, would rush for three touchdowns and 212 yards.
The final quarter saw the duo each score to give the Bucs a commanding victory 56-35 and move into first place in the Southern Conference with a (9-1) record.
The Bucs have one game remaining in the regular season and the battle will be for first place in the SoCon when the (7-2) Mercer Bears visit William B. Greene Jr. Stadium on Nov. 20.
Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. With records to be broken and a conference title on the line, this will be the Bucs biggest game of the year.
